A Sad Goodbye

I have been away from the blog for some time. Not intentionally. It was a time constraint.

I will not be a vendor at Bella Patina after this month. Due to my full time work schedule - at a career that I love - I realized that cannot do both well.

Sometimes multi-tasking is not such a good idea. 

I will miss the energy and the awesome vendors at Bella Patina.

This last year at Bella has been wonderful. More than wonderful. At a time in my life when I needed a creative outlet the Allen family was there with an opportunity. I consider our meeting Providential.

The Allen family have become my friends. They have been supportive, encouraging and professional.

And who could ask for more than that?

I have not abandoned my furniture painting. Instead, I will be taking on custom work that will fit into my travel and work schedule.

To the Allen family: I will miss you! Thank you so much for a wonderful year! You are the best!!!
P.S. Don't forget to come down to Bella Patina this weekend for some awesome deals!

Getting Ready

I spent most of my weekend preparing for the upcoming sale at Bella Patina next weekend. There are so many new vendors and lots of beautiful things to buy. So don't miss out!

On top of painting and shopping this weekend I happend across this blog. I think you will really enjoy it.

http://www.secondshoutout.com/blog

Also, here is a sneak peek at what I'm taking down to Bella Patina for the sale.

Mirror is painted with a soft white base coat, distressed, then a silver glaze applied.
It measures 48" high and 28" wide.

Have a happy Monday!

New items for the Bella Patina Sale

Worked like a dog last night on two new pieces for the upcoming sale at Bella Patina which is next weekend.

A new magazine of inspiration!

I'm probably the very last person to know about this magazine. Souvenir

They have a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SouvenirMagazine

You can order the magazine here.

For those of us who are blessed to have an IPad they have a digital version. Yeah.

Have an inspired weekend!

Perfectly White

White

Aids mental clarity
Encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles
Evokes purification of thoughts or actions
Enables fresh beginnings

The white bed. 

The white sideboard.

I still have this pretty white mantel for sale at Bella Patina in Kansas City.  Please forgive the background in my photo. It was shot in my garage.

If it does not sell next weekend I will bring it home.

"White...is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black...God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white." -- G. K. Chesterton

Have a wonderful day.

Tuesday Blues

There is just something about blue painted furniture.

And let's not forget blue flowers...

Have a lovely day!



The Home Office

I work from home and I love it.

I'm fortunate that I have a dedicated room for work. Last year I had bead board installed, painted the room and had a heated tile floor installed. It's warm in the winter.

But that's as far as I got.

I would like to share photos but at this writing it is one big mess!

The home offices below have inspired me to get busy and decorate my space!

Amy over at Maison Decor has hit the right balance between function and pretty.

Sadie Olive shared inspirational photos of her studio space .

Last but not least I will leave you with this pretty office space.

Have a wonderful week!

For the love of the garden

One of my friends on Facebook is Lidy at http://frenchgardenhouse.com. The post this morning about her garden is simply wonderful.

I'm experiencing garden envy.

Portlandia Fever-No Grocery Bags

It's Friday!

To start your weekend off with a smile here is clip from one of my favorite programs - Portlandia on IFC.

Dogs and Furniture Embellishments

Eddie doesn't sit for very long. Yesterday, I made him sit on the chair for a photo session. He complied. Reluctantly.

I could just hear the one sided conversation he was having inside that little head of his, "I may be sitting down on the outside but I'm standing up and running around the yard on the inside."

Also, this morning ran across this company owned by Cheryle Rhuda and Danika Herrick that manufactures overlays for furniture. What a swell idea. I may be ordering some custom pieces soon.

You can visit their website at  http://www.myoverlays.com/

Kitchen makeover: The before and after

In the spring of 2010 we finally had the money to makeover our 1960's kitchen and family room.

Here is our kitchen before:

Pretty awful.

That was the original cook top and oven that was installed when the house was built in 1967. The original appliances were a copper color. I had them painted when we moved in. By the way, the tile was so sturdy that you could put hot "off the stove" cast iron frying pan on it without making a scorch mark.

Despite it's dated appearance we created many happy memories is the old kitchen. I hope to create many more in this new one.

Have a great week!

Shopping finds and some dirt under my nails!

Here is sampling of some the items I picked up over the weekend. One in particular I'm going to keep.

Doesn't she look happy? I have already found a place for her.

I also scored some furniture, a mirror and accent pieces.

If you would like to purchase any item now and have it custom painted let me know.

I was also busy buying plants this weekend. A few have found a new home. The other ones are homeless!

Have a wonderful day.

Ugly Furniture

It's Friday and I'm in the mood for a little humor.

Have a great weekend!

A Study in Contrasts

Love the juxtaposition between the stone wall and the color palette of the furnishings.

You can see more at Home and Decor.

Coveting Provence

The last time I was in France was 1999.

My previous trips to Europe involved trains, backpacks, sore feet and wonderful memories. However, I was thrilled that we rented a car that year.

There is only so much you can see from a train.

The photos from Chic Provence reminded me why the Provence region is worth visiting again. And again. And again.

• Nice - We ate a picnic lunch at the beautiful park overlooking the city.
• Avignon - Stayed in a hotel that faced the Palace of Popes.
• Aix-en-Provence - I can't remember where we stayed. Too much wine!
• Cannes - I felt like a movie star.

However, the next time I visit the area I may just rent a small house (like the one in the picture) and relax.

Oh, and drink wine!

Deconstructed Furniture?

Those of us who are in the furniture restoration business we know deconstructed.

However, to sell a piece of furniture that is - well - missing a sizable portion of the stuffing, fabric, etc. is something else altogether.

But that is exactly what Restoration Hardware is doing.

I just ran across this article from the Kansas City Star reporter Stacey Downs: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/03/3533674/catalog-scout-restoration-hardwares.html

The chair featured in the article is a whopping $1,995.00.

Really? Would you buy this?

Master Bedroom Ideas

I'm in the mood to remodel my master bedroom.

We're talkin' tearing the picture frame mouldings and chair rail off the walls, refinishing the floor, find furniture pieces, artwork, lighting, window coverings and updating the vanity area.

Did I mention that I'm on a budget?

Anyway, I'm gathering ideas. Here is  a makeover I found this morning over at Laurie Anna's Vintage Home.

Lovely.

Or I could channel Jackie Kennedy's bedroom at the White House.  Apartment Therapy.



Have a fabulous week.

Easter Weekend

Spring is finally here and my garden - while it is still in the "you need to clean this place up" phase -is showing signs of life. This is my favorite time of year.

 Have a lovely Easter weekend.

Spent last night finishing up some of the furniture that will be at Bella Patina this weekend.

Thank God it's Friday. It's been a busy week and I'm looking forward to the weekend. This weekend I'm loading in all of the new goodies for my space at Bella Patina. Here are some of my offerings for next weekend's sale. Enjoy!